Register locking means



April 15, 1958 H. GANG REGISTER LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 2?. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm amm SV nmnlum INVENTOR HERMAN GANG BY ATTORNEY April 15, 1958 H. GANG REGISTER LOCKING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 27. 1953 INVENTOIR HERMAN c; NG

ATTORNEY BY XZ United. rates PatentO REGISTER LUCKENG MEANS Herman Gang, Livingston, N. 5., assignor to Monroe Calcuiating Machine Company, Orange, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application August 27, 1953, Serial No. 376,864

3 Claims. (Cl. 235-49) The present invention relates to registers, and more particularly to calculating machine registers wherein cyclically operable actuating mechanism engages means for transmitting different selected digital values to the numeral wheels during different portions respectively of a phase of digital operation. Therefore, means must be provided to prevent over rotation of the intermittently driven numeral wheels of the register as they are released from the actuator drive and thus prevent clash of the actuator gears with the numeral wheel gears upon plural cycle registering operation. Constantly engaged yieldable check springs such, for example, as disclosed in Patent 1,349,628 issued o Edgar E. Phinney, or yieldable spring pressed pawls of various types are commonly used to prevent over rotation of such intermittently driven numeral wheels. Such yieldable over rotation control means, however, areinefiective above certain speeds of registering operation unless made prohibitively strong with attendant objectionable noise and excessive wear of the parts.

To arc-id the disadvantages of the aforenoted yieldable over rotationcheck means, the present invention provides positive locking means for the numeral Wheels, which means are released at the beginning of the effective operation of the digital actuators and set at the finish of the effective operation. Thus the numeral wheels are positivcly locked against over rotation as they are released from the dr al actuator drive. Furthermore, the locking means of the invention are again released at the time that the beginning of a tens transfer operation may occur, and '"-t at the end of the tens transfer period. Thus, the loc ing means are released and set twice during each complete operating cycle of the actuating mechanism. Withmthe numeral wheels positively locked against over rotation, it will be apparent that the registering speed may be increased to a marked degree.

Certain prior art devices are operable positively to lock intermittently driven registerwheels during a nonetr'ective portion of a cycle of .actuatingmeans therefor. However, the. structural and operating characteristics of these devices are not readily adaptable for operation with the registering means with which the devices .of the present invention are particularly operable to control and with which theinvention is herein disclosed. The actuating mechanism ofthis registering means operates substantially in accordance with the well known Baldwin principle as exemplified in Patent 2,531,207 issued to applicant. Such actuating mechanism is of the, cyclicallyoperable reversible rotary type and has anidle, digital, and

tens transfer phase upon each cycle of operation in either direction. The invention, however, will best be understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical section of a portion of a calculating machine emboding the invention and showing the register and the actuating mechanism therefor.

wFig. 2 is asideselevation of one of the control devices fora register wheel lock.

ice

Fig. 3 is a front view of the control device shown Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view of one of the digit keys of the keyboard and the selection bails operable upon depression of the key.

Fig. 5 is a front view with parts broken away of a series of register wheels, the digital actuating mechanism therefor, and the lock control devices for the wheels.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the control devices, the associated lock, and the intermediate gear-of the associated wheel drive train. I

Figs. 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7;, 7g, 7/1, and 7i are each a schematic of one of the control devices partly broken away showing the adjusted positions upon registration of the digits 1 to 9 respectively.

Registering mechanism The register comprises a series of ordinally arranged numeral wheels 1 (Figs. 1 and 5) rotatably mounted on a shaft 3 extending longitudinally of carriage 5. The numeral wheels are driven additively or subtractively by digital and tens transfer actuators mounted in the base of the machine through intermediate gears '7 also mounted in the base of the machine, intermediate gears 9 mounted in carriage, and gears 10 fast to said wheels. The digital actuator for each numeral wheel 1 comprises a pair of stepped tooth gears 11a and 11b which are differentially settable to register the digits 1 to 9. Gears 11a and 11b are slidably mounted on a splined shaft 13 and are normally spring urged one from the other against limit studs 33a fast in the shaft. When in this normal or zero registering position, each pair of digital actuating gears Ila-Jill) passes idly to either side of one of the intermediate gears 7 respectively upon rotary operation of shaft 13.

Actuator gears lla are adapted for three steps of inward adjustment representative of the digits 1 to 3 respectively. Upon one step of inward movement of actuator gear 11a, one tooth thereof is brought into position to engage the associated intermediate 7. Upon two steps of movement two teeth are moved into position to engage the gear and upon the third step of movement three teeth are moved into position to engage the intermediate gear. Digital actuator gears 1111 are adapted for two steps of inward adjustment. Upon the first step of inward adjustment of a gear lib, four teeth thereon are brought into position to engage the associated intermediate gear 7 and upon the second step of movement, six teeth are brought into position to engage the intermediate gear. The digital actuators are therefore adapted to register the digits 1, 2 or 3 by adjustment of actuator gears 11a and are adapted to register the digits 4 and 6 upon. adjustment of the actuator gears 1112. Each actuator comprising gears Ila-4.111 is adapted to register the digits 5, 7, 8 and 9 by simultaneous inward adjustment of the gears to bring the appropriate number of teeth into position for engagement with the associated intermediate gears 7.

The tens transfer elements 15 (Fig. l) are on a drum it? which is rotatably mounted in the of the machine. The transfer elements 15 are arranged in two spirals, one of which is operable to effect tens transfer following additive operation and the other is operable to effect tens transfer following subtractive operation. As is well known in the art, the spiral arrangement of the transfer elements provides for the transfer operations to be effected successively from lower to higher order wheels. As heretofore noted, the actuating mechanism has an idle phase, a digital phase, and a tens transfer phase for each cycle of operation either additively or subtractively. During the idle phase of operation upon additive operation the subtractive transfer mounted 3 elements 15 are moved inefiectively past the intermediate gears 7 and upon negative operation the additive tens transfer elements are moved ineffectively past gears 7. A wedge 19 is adjustable to render either one or the other of each pair of normally disabled additive or subtractive transfer elements operable to effect a registration of 1 either additively or subtractively respectively in a higher order wheel, upon passage of the next lower order wheel from 9 to O or from to 9 registering position following such passage from registration effected either by the digital actuators or by the tens transfer elements. The digital actuator shaft 13 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) through a suitable gear train including a gear 21 and a reversible trans mission such as disclosed in Patent 2,531,207. The tens transfer actuator drum 17 is driven at a one to one ratio with digital actuator gears 11a and 11b by gear 21 through a gear 22 and a gear 23 which is fast on a rotatably mounted shaft on which drum 17 is also fast.

Each of the digital actuators comprising gears 11a- 11b is adjusted upon depression of a l to 9 key 24 (Figs. l and 4) of a column of the keyboard. As is well known in the art, each of the stems of the keys 24 is provided with a forked lower end 25, each of which is adapted upon depression of the key to engage a lug 27a of one or the other of a pair of bails 27 or to simultaneously engage a lug of each of the bails. Each of the bails 27 is provided with an upstanding finger 271: which engages an auxiliary bail 29. Each auxiliary bail 29 engages the outer face of one or the other of digital actuator gears 11a or 1112 and also as will hereafter be described the auxiliary bails 29 are adapted upon operation simultaneously to adjust the control devices of the invention. Upon depression of one of the digit keys 24 of the keyboard either one or the other or both of the associated bails will be rocked inwardly toward one another by the forked end of the stem of the key thereby likewise rocking the associated auxiliary bails 29 to adjust the associated digital actuator gears in accordance with the value of the depressed key 24-.

Means also as disclosed in applicants Patent No. 2,531,206 may be employed to reset numeral wheels 1 to zero registering position. During a resetting operation, carriage S is raised, thereby disengaging intermediate gears 9 in the carriage from intermediate gears 7 in the base of the machine thereby permitting the operation. Pawls 31 (Figs. 1 and which are urged into engagement with gears on the numeral wheels 1 by very light springs prevent movement of the numeral wheels following a resetting operation prior to the reengagement of intermediate gears 7 and 9.

Register locking means and controls therefor The locking means for each numeral wheel 1 comprises a detent in the form of a flat plunger 33 (Figs. l, 2 and 6). Plungers 33 are mounted for vertical adjustment between a pair of spaced plates 35 and 37 (Fig. 5) which extend transversely of the machine and which have oppositely disposed vertical slots engaging the front and rear edges respectively of the plungers. The lower end of each plunger 33 is in the form of a V-shaped nose and its upper end is provided with a V-shaped recess. Each plunger 33 has a cylindrical opening intermediate its ends and through the openings is threaded a light coiled spring 34 fixed in any suitable manner at its ends and which urges the plungers upwardly to engage their V-shaped recesses each with a tooth of one of the intermediate gears '7.

The control means for each plunger 33 comprises a pair of complementary operable mutilated cup shaped members 39 and 41 of like diameter as best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6. Each pair of members 39 and 41 is mounted for relative horizontal adjustment on a splined shaft 42 which extends transversely of the machine. Shaft 42 is driven .by. gear 22 whichdrives gear '4' 23 of the tens transfer actuator drive and which is driven by gear 21 of the digital actuator drive train at a one to one ratio. Control members 39 and 41 are therefore driven at a one to one ratio in time with the digital and tens transfer actuators.

Shaft 42 extends through the closed ends of cup shaped members 39 and 41 and the members are so disposed that the open ends of each pair face inwardly toward one another respectively. As shown at 39a in Figs. 2 and 6, the side wall of each control member 39 is completely removed over an are extending somewhat more than and over this are its closed end is reduced to form a radius slightly less than the inner radius of the associated control member 41. The side wall of each control member 41 is completely removed over an arc diametrically opposed to the removed side wall of the associated member 39 and extending a distance to permit circumferential spacing between the horizontal opposite edges of its side wall and the horizontal opposite edges respectively of the side wall of said associated member 39 as shown at 41a in Figs. 2 and 6. Furthermore, the closed ends of members 41 are reduced over the arcuate extent of their removed side walls to form a radius slightly less than the inner radius of the associated control members 39. Therefore, the associated members 39 and 41 may be adjusted each toward the other respectively on shaft 42 to effect longitudinal diametrically opposed adjustment of their side Walls, which adjustment is permitted by the circumferenital spacing of the side walls and by the reduced radius of the closed ends of the members which permits entry of said ends respectively within the associated cup shaped control members.

Extending clockwise (Figs. 2 and 6) from the left horizontal edge of the side wall of each control member 39 is an opening or recess comprising stepped portions 39b, 39c, and 39d. As will be hereinafter described, these stepped portions correspond to the digital setting of 1, 2 and 3 respectively of an associated actuator gear 11a. Extending counterclockwise from the left horizontal edge of the side wall of each control member 41 is an opening comprising stepped portions 41b and 41c. These stepped portions correspond to the digital setting of 4 and 6 respectively of an associated digital actuator gear 11b.

Normally, a compression spring 45 urges each control member 39 and the associated control member 41 outwardly from one another on shaft 42 into engagement with stop pins 42a as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This normal position of a pair of control members 39 and 41 corresponds to zero setting of a pair of associated digital actuator gears 11a and 11b. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, when a pair of control members 39--41 are in this normal position theirrims are positioned horizontally inward past one another with the rim of member 39 in the vertical plane of the edge of step portion 41b of the opening in control member 41 and with the rim of member 41 in the vertical plane of the edge of step portion 39b of the opening in control member 39. Also, when the parts are in this normal position, a plunger 33 is positioned in a vertical plane intermediate the vertical plane of the rim of member 39 and the edge of step portion 39b of the opening of said member, and intermediate the vertical plane of the rim of member 41 and the edge of step portion 41b of the aperture of said member. Furthermore, the recessed upper end of plunger 33 is urgedupwardly by spring 34 to engage a tooth of the associated intermediate gear 7 and its lower V-nosed end is raised a slight distance outwardly of the path of rotation of the outer faces of the side walls of members 39 and 41. Fig. 2 shows the circumferential relation of a plunger 33 to the pair of control members 39 and 41 when the actuating mechanism is in normal full cycle position. Fig. 6 shows the relation of the parts upon movement of the parts subtractively from full cycle position.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4-, an auxiliary bail 29 engaging a digital actuator gear 11a also engages the end face of the associated latch control member 39. Also, the opposed auxiliary bail 2% engaged by the associated actuator gear 11b engages the end face of the associated latch control member 41. The Figures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h, and 71' schematically represent respectively the adjustments of a pair of control members 39 and 41 upon depression of the digit keys 1 to 9 inclusive of the associated key row and wherein depression of any one key to a latched position will release any latched key in the row in well known manner.

Upon depression of a key 24 of the digital value 1, the right associated bail 27 will be rocked counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 4 to likewise rock the associatedbail 29 and thereby move the associated digital actuator gear 11a inwardly one step of movement to bring the first stepped tooth thereof into the vertical plane of the associated intermediate gear 7. At the same time, bail 29 engaging the associated latch control member 39 will move said member inwardly to bring the step portion 39b of the opening therein into the vertical plane of the associated latching plunger 33, and into the vertical plane of the side wall of the associated control member 41 defined by its rim and the edge of the portion 41b of the opening therein. As will be clearly seen from an inspection of Fig. 7a in which the dot dash line indicates the vertical plane of plunger 33, portion 39b of the opening will, after the above described adjustment, have circumferentially spaced ends respectively defined by the step connecting it with portion 390 of the opening and by the end of the side wall of member 41 vertically aligned therewith. At the moment that the tooth of digital actuator gear Ila engages gear 7 following the idle phase upon either additive or subtractive operation of the registering mechanism, one or the other end of portion 39b of the opening of member 39 will pass beyond the nose of plunger Therefore, upon movement of gear '7, the tooth thereof engaging the recess of plunger 33 will cam said plunger downwardly to enter its nose into portion 39b of the opening of member 39. Before the tooth of gear 7 has moved beyond the recessed end of plunger 33, one or the other adjacent teeth of the gear will be moved above said recessed end. Therefore, spring 34 will be ineffective to move plunger 33 upwardly into the path of movement of said adjacent tooth. At the moment that the driving tooth of actuator gear 11a is disengaged from intermediate gear 7, the opposite end of portion 39b of the opening of member 39 will engage the nose of plunger 33 to cam it upwardly to engage its recessed upper end with the above noted adjacent tooth of intermediate gear '7. It will therefore be seen that the side wall of either member 39 or 411, depending on the direction of rotation, will new block any appreciable downward movement of plunger 33 and that the recess of the plunger engaging a tooth of gear 7 will positively lock said gear and the numeral wheel driven thereby from over rotation. It will be observed that spring 34 is not essential to the operation of the devices and that its light operation to move plunger 33 upwardly is only coincidental. The purpose of spring 34 is to hold the nose ends of plungers 33 from frictional engagement with the side walls of control members 39 and 41 when intermediate gears 7 are at rest thereby minimizing wear of the parts.

As seen in Figs. 7b and 7c, depression of the 2 or 3 digit key 24 will bring portions 39c or 39d respectively of the opening of control member 39 into the vertical plane of plunger 33 and of the aforenoted horizontal edge of the side wall of control member 4 1. it will be readily understood that these apertures are so located and extend circumferentially the proper distance to permit movement of plunger 33 downwardly at the time actuator gear 11a engages intermediate gear 7 and at the time actuator gear 11a isdisengaged the plunger will be restored inwardlyby one or the other of the end edges of the openings respectively to lock gear 7 and the parts driven thereby from over rotation. Figs. 70! and 7] illustrate the adjustment of control member 41 relative to control member 39 to provide openings of the proper extent to control plunger 33 upon registration of the digits 4 or 6 respectively. Figs. 7e, 7g, 7h, and 7i illustrate the simultaneous adjustments of control members 39 and 41 to provide openings of the proper extent to control plunger 33 upon registration of the digits 5, 7, 8 and 9 respectively.

The control means for locking and releasing plungers 33 also provides means for preventing over rotation of the parts following tens transfer operations. Such means comprises an opening 49 (Figs. 1 and 2) in each control member d1. These openings 49 provide for the control of plungers 33 to prevent over rotation incidental to tens transfer operations following additive digital registration. These openings extend longitudinally of members it so that they are always in the vertical plane of plungers 33 regardless of the longitudinal adjustment of the members. As is well known in the art, the tens transfer operations, when indicated, occur successively from lower to higher order wheels. Therefore, openings are located circumferentially in members 41 so that plungers 33 are permitted downward movement at the times the tens transfer operations may begin and are cammed upwardly at the times the tens transfer transmission devices, it operated, are disengaged from intermediate gears 7. Openings 51 (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) in control members 39 are operable to control plungers 33 upon tens transfer operations following negative digital registration in like manner as above described following additive registration.

Although the devices of the invention have been disclosed as operating in'conjunction with a particular type of registering mechanism, it will be obvious that the devices may be employed in conjunction with other types of registering mechanism wherein such mechanism is intermittently engaged to drive the numeral wheels which are consequently subject to over rotation. Furthermore, although the invention has been disclosed as operating in conjunction with digital actuating means wherein a pair of members is complementally operable to register certain of the digits 1 to 9, it will be apparent that the invention may be adapted for operation in conjunction with digital actuating means wherein a single member is settable to register all of the digits. In this instance, the lock control means also would comprise a single member having openings therein to control the locking means at the necessary times. Also, it will be obvious that the invention may be adapted for use with digital actuating means of the well known Thomas type wherein drive transmission gears for the register wheels are shifted by the selection means relative to the digital actuators and the registration of each digit 1 to 9 is completed at the same point in the cycle of registration. In this instance, the latch members of the invention could be shifted with the transmission gears relative to the latch control means and an opening in the control means would be of an extent to provide for release of the latching means at a point in the registering cycle to permit registration of maximum duration. Also in this instance, there would be no necessity to adjust the latch control member as the opening therein would release the latch to permit registration of any digit and the latch would invariably be reset at the same point in the cycle. The invention is therefore to be restricted only as necessitated by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a motor driven calculating machine, a register numeral wheel, cyclically operable rotary actuating means therefor including a digital actuator differentially settable axially from an ineffectively operable position to effectively operable positions and a tens transfer actuator, digital value selection means for setting said digital actuator, a latch for holding said wheel against rotation, a control device rotatably driven in time with said actuating means for blocking said wheel latch from releasing movement and differentially settable axially; said device having a digital control opening with a plurality of edges each normally displaced from a position corresponding to a setting of said digital actuator whereby said opening is effective to release said latch during effective operation of said digital actuator and a tens transfer control opening for releasing said latch during operation of said tens transfer actuator, and means operable by said digital value selection means to adjust said control device to position the edge of said digital control opening corresponding to the setting of said digital actuator.

2. In a motor driven calculating machine, a register numeral wheel, cyclically operable rotary actuating means therefor including a stepped tooth digital actuator gear difierentially settable axially from an inetfectively operable position to bring tooth combinations respectively into effectively operable positions and a tens transfer actuator, digital value selection means for setting said stepped tooth gear, a latch for holding said wheel against rotation, a cylindrical device rotatably driven in time with said actuating means for blocking said wheel latch from releasing movement and differentially settable axially; said device having a digital control opening stepped in accordance with the stepped teeth of said gear and normally displaced from positions to release said latch during effective operation of said gear and having a tens transfer control opening for releasing said latch during operation of said tens transfer actuator, and means operable by said digital value selection means to adjust said device to position said digital control opening to the position corresponding to the setting of said actuator gear.

comprising a pair of members differentially settable axially; each having a digital control opening stepped in accordance with one and the other stepped tooth gears respectively and normally displaced from positions complementally operable to release said latch during effective operation of said gears, and having a tens transfer opening for releasing said latch during operation of said tens transfer actuator, and means operable by said digital value selection means to adjust said device to position said digital control openings to the positions corresponding to the setting of said actuator gears.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,334,974 Svensson Mar. 30, 1920 1,348,576 Odhrler Aug. 3, 1920 1,454,275 Friden May 8, 1923 1,462,944 Rudin July 24, 1923 1,877,801 Britten Sept. 20, 1932 2,662,690 Webb Dec. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 188,737 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1937 851,464 France Oct. 2, 1939 

